Dexur analysts studied CMS administrative claims for Illinois hospitals treating Medicare inpatients with diabetes and discovered that Anderson Hospital was the only hospital in the state to average under 3.5 days for a 30-day episode of care including only unplanned readmissions at 3.07 days. The next lowest average LOS was OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center, which averaged 3.56 days for a 30-day episode of care. Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center followed closely at 3.57 days to rank 3rd while Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital averaged 3.59 days to rank 4th. At 3.62 days, Presence United Samaritans Medical Center ranked 5th in the state. The top 10 Illinois hospitals for lowest average LOS for a 30-day episode of care with unplanned readmissions are shown in the graph below.

In order to be included in this analysis, hospitals in Illinois were required to discharge at least 50 DRG-638 (Diabetes with Complication or Comorbidity) Medicare inpatient cases between January 2013 and December 2016. They also had to have at least 11 of the patients with a DRG-638 discharge readmitted within 30 days of their index hospitalization. The 30-day episode of care average LOS metric takes into account the number of days stayed during both the index hospital stay and the readmitted hospital stay, if applicable. All days are categorized under the index hospital, regardless of whether the patient was readmitted at the index hospital or not. Unplanned readmissions are defined as those who are admitted inpatient via the emergency department. Patients who expired, were transferred, or discharged against medical advice were excluded from these totals.

One key contributor to a low average LOS for a 30-day episode of care with unplanned readmissions can be the average LOS for the index hospital stay alone. Anderson Hospital averaged 2.72 days for the index hospital stay; only one other hospital had an average index LOS lower than Anderson Hospital. University of Illinois Hospital & Health Sciences System had an average LOS of 2.43 days for the index hospitalization, but ranked only 16th for the lowest LOS for a 30-day episode of care at 3.99 days. Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center and Northwestern Medicine Central Dupage Hospital tied for 3rd lowest index hospitalization average LOS at 2.75 days.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Saparja Nag

Saparja is a healthcare journalist with a particular interest in how medicine can and should affect health policy. She has extensive experience as a health educator and research scientist in biochemistry. She also enjoys running, cooking elaborate meals, and then eating elaborate meals. Saparja received a Bachelors of Arts in Biochemistry from Vassar College.